The God of Creation
By Ryan Dawson
When was the last time you got out into nature? There is something so restorative about taking time to soak in God’s amazing creation. Yesterday afternoon I took the time during a very full and hectic September to get into the Gatineau Hills for a trail run. I went back to one of my favourite trails called Wolf Trail. It was the first time this year I have been there, and it was so good for my heart, mind, body, and soul to be in the trails again. To be honest I didn’t really feel like I had time for this, and there were a million other things I could have been doing, but I carved out the time in my schedule and set an appointment for God and me to meet in the park. It was a gift.
There is something about being in God’s nature that helps us connect with the Divine. The Apostle Paul speaks to this in the book of Romans:
“For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.” Romans 1:20 (Amplified Bible)
We can learn so much about God from His creation. Nature shows us God’s might, creativity, intelligence, wisdom, and beauty. Nature shows us that God is the author of Life, and it’s in Him that we find true life. The great philosopher and early Church father, Augustine, referenced creation as a book that reveals God’s goodness when he wrote: “Heaven and earth cries out to you, God made me!”
Nature also helps us find our place in God’s story. We are humbled in the presence of God’s awesome creation, and it helps us acknowledge God in His greatness. Standing on a rock face and surveying the vast landscape of sky, trees, fields, and water makes you feel small in a good way. As we take in the beauty of creation, we marvel that the God who made all this knows us and loves us. David writes in the Psalm 8:3-6…
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
God meets us through His creation in real and powerful ways. So put down your phone, step away from your computer, take a break from your work, get the kids outside, go look at the stars, to soak up a moment in Nature. It can be as simple as standing under a tree or walking through the garden for five minutes or taking an hour to walk by a river or get into the hills. God will meet you in His nature and you will be better for it.
I’m going outside now - I’ll see you there!
Blessings, Ryan
When was the last time you got out into nature? There is something so restorative about taking time to soak in God’s amazing creation. Yesterday afternoon I took the time during a very full and hectic September to get into the Gatineau Hills for a trail run. I went back to one of my favourite trails called Wolf Trail. It was the first time this year I have been there, and it was so good for my heart, mind, body, and soul to be in the trails again. To be honest I didn’t really feel like I had time for this, and there were a million other things I could have been doing, but I carved out the time in my schedule and set an appointment for God and me to meet in the park. It was a gift.
There is something about being in God’s nature that helps us connect with the Divine. The Apostle Paul speaks to this in the book of Romans:
“For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.” Romans 1:20 (Amplified Bible)
We can learn so much about God from His creation. Nature shows us God’s might, creativity, intelligence, wisdom, and beauty. Nature shows us that God is the author of Life, and it’s in Him that we find true life. The great philosopher and early Church father, Augustine, referenced creation as a book that reveals God’s goodness when he wrote: “Heaven and earth cries out to you, God made me!”
Nature also helps us find our place in God’s story. We are humbled in the presence of God’s awesome creation, and it helps us acknowledge God in His greatness. Standing on a rock face and surveying the vast landscape of sky, trees, fields, and water makes you feel small in a good way. As we take in the beauty of creation, we marvel that the God who made all this knows us and loves us. David writes in the Psalm 8:3-6…
3 When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4 what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
5 Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7 the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
9 O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
God meets us through His creation in real and powerful ways. So put down your phone, step away from your computer, take a break from your work, get the kids outside, go look at the stars, to soak up a moment in Nature. It can be as simple as standing under a tree or walking through the garden for five minutes or taking an hour to walk by a river or get into the hills. God will meet you in His nature and you will be better for it.
I’m going outside now - I’ll see you there!
Blessings, Ryan